Like I wrote in my first post, that ditch is definitely man-made and it's definitely been there a long time...at least since 1930 & probably much earlier than that. I suspect it was a pioneer ditch/canal dating from around the same time as the DD and others. If you follow it in the 1930 aerial, it appears that this ditch took a more southerly route than the DD and crossed the area of the current day Maricopa Fwy only about 250 feet east of where the DD did. That is the remnant you found in the pic. It may or may not have been the "gully" that Omar Turney showed on his 1929 map. I'd really like to know the name of this ditch (if it had one), and what it origins were.
The research continues...

roc2rol wrote:
and on that aerial map of 1930
really cool that circular formation
over by Washington & 50th

must be the Hohokam ball court?

To tell you the truth, I'm not sure what that circular formation is.
It's on the Tovrea Castle property, just a little north of the castle.
And whatever that formation is, it's still there...you can see it on the current day image.

well this just gets curiouser & curiouser
I haven’t had the time to thoroughly study the map

but can you tell me what the large building is on the south side of Van Buren at about 40st? This would be just east of Bill Johnson Big Apple. It there in 1930 and throughout the 1950’s; but by 1969 its gone. I think it was major hotel.